"The Adventures of Dr Eszterhazy" Topic

And also the Enquiries
By Avram Davidson.
A series of short stories, set in The Triune Monarchy of Scythian Pannonia and Transbalkania, in the late 19th Century. Sort of Hapsburg Empire
The hero is Dr Eszterhazy, a sort of Sherlock Holmes pastiche with minor elements of alchemy and mysticism.
The later Adventures have a lot of steam punk.

This is an interesting Imagination universe. I'm thinking of adapting it for earlier SYW, but period colonials would work too. Involve all your current armies!

All stories contained in The Enquiries are reprinted in The Adventures--which contains, I believe all the Dr. Eszterhazy tales. (That was certainly the intention, and I don't believe any others were found in Davidson's papers.)

But the maps of Bella and of the entire Triune Monarchy are found only in the paperback Enquiries. I had them copied and enlarged, and keep them in document protectors next to the hardcover Adventures. How else would I know where to change trains to arrive at Zenda in Ruritania?

But these stories are far beyond campaign fodder. Davidson had gifts for language and culture few could match--and perhaps a touch of prophesy, which is not a thing I would wish on anyone. I read Ignatz Louis' "this Empire will sink like Atlantis and the children of these children will look for it upon the maps in vain" and I fear for my own land.

I mostly remember the sheer joy in reading what he wrote.

And so you should. Davidson had troubles at novel length. I think I only own The Phoenix and the Mirror and The Boss in the Wall which run past novella. But novella and under he was one of the best writers the language has produced, and Eszterhazy and his Limkiller stories are his best connected shorts.

He's also famous for his unfinished 2 part trilogies. Peregrine being my favorite. I named my DnD wizzard Appledore. 😄

Is this something my 1897 Greeks could do when not fighting my 1897 Turks?

Grelber

What else do you have for 1897?
"They are who I say they are." That works when improvising.

"Is this something my 1897 Greeks could do when not fighting my 1897 Turks?"

Certainly, Grelber. It's also something your 1897 Turks could do while not fighting your 1897 Greeks. There's actual mention of a dispute with the Turks in one of the stories, though war is averted.

But truthfully, with due respect to the OFM, I think Davidson--who served with the 1st Marine Division in the Pacific, I'll have you know--is so far above our normal campaign stuff that it would be like reading Hamlet so you could game Fortinbras' invasion of Denmark. He'd be a much better fit for a turn of the century RPG as a team of investigators work on the theft of the Crown Jewels of Jerusalem or reported sighting of mermaids on the banks of the Ister. Cthulhu by Gaslight might be a starting point.

But read and enjoy the stories for themselves.

Reading Shakespeare prompted me to buy both HYW and War of the Roses armies many years ago, in 25mm from Essex. Who doesn't want to stand with Branagh/Hal on Crispin's day? A very young Batman did. 😄

I was inspired to suggest the Triune Monarchy as a geopolitical context for a SYW campaign. Sure, it's 1755 vs 1897, but the nations exist.

In our group, between us, we have all the Western Powers for the Boxer Rebellion. That's a good head start on a ~1899 Triune Monarchy Imagination game or three. What are American Marines doing there? That's up to you to figure out. I'm busy painting Graustark Pandours and Ruritanian Lancers. It's lovely how much Lauzun's Legion look just like Pannonia.

So, all intended with this thread was to suggest an alternate universe.
Heck, maybe it will inspire campaigns featuring your Early Imperial Romans vs Frank's Landsknechts. Suitably adjusted to avoid WRG silly weapons clashes of course.